Nightingales
by StrangeIsNotACrime
Summary: What if Maura's biological parents had never given her up for adoption? How would she have turned out? Will be Rizzles. Own nothing.
1. Reflection

**I'm back guys :) I can't believe it's been a year since I posted any Rizzles. This is an idea I've had in my head for a while, hope you enjoy.**

She closed her eyes. Three, two, one…

Damn. She was still there.

Maura Doyle should have learnt a long time ago that simply closing her eyes and wishing hard wasn't always enough to change things. However, despite her strength and intelligence, she honestly couldn't think up a rational, realistic way to get out of this. She was there and that was that. Until, of course, they moved yet again.

In the seventeen years she'd been alive, Maura had lived in over sixty different places. Some of them were decent houses, some were apartments, others were battered old caravans. They'd even stayed in a tent under a bridge for a couple of nights. Most of the nicer places were loaners from friends of her father, as this one was. She'd lived in three different countries and once they'd moved to America, over ten states. She had also attended at least forty different schools and although her grades were good, she never really had the time to make close friends.

Being the daughter of a big time crime boss really had its downsides.

Of course, the relentless moving about wasn't the only one. The constant fear that someone would take a shot at her, her mother or her father was just as bad, if not worse. Every time her father spent time away from the house to sort out some 'business', she knew there was a chance he wouldn't make it back. It was the same for her mother. Anyone who knew Paddy Doyle knew that Hope was his wife and Maura was his daughter. Things spread fast amongst criminals, Maura had learned. Every single time any of the three stepped outside their front door, they were taking a huge risk. But they were risks that they had to take. Paddy's 'work' brought money to keep them going and of course, Maura had to go to school. Not just because of the law, and the fact that if she didn't go then there would be awkward questions, but because she was determined to get herself a good education, no matter how many schools she had to go through to get it. Luckily, by now, she was a senior in high school and would be heading off the college the following year. The idea thrilled her.

She opened the small rucksack that she had always kept beside her bed in case of an emergency. Inside were mostly essentials, such as clothes and a toothbrush, but she also had personal items, like her diary and a copy of an old medical journal that she had picked up somewhere. She had learnt to travel light over the years. She had a cheap phone with a spare SIM card in case anything happened but other than a few trinkets, that was about as close as she came to having material possessions. That didn't really bother her, but she would have liked to be able to be a little frivolous every now and then. The money her father earned went straight on rent, bills, 'business' or alcohol. She rarely saw much of it.

Maura pulled out the small compact mirror her mother had given her when she had turned 13. The circles under her eyes were more prominent now than ever, her eyes themselves looked vacant and there was a gauntness to her face that frightened her. She looked like she hadn't slept in over a week. Possibly because she hadn't.

Her reflection puzzled her at times. She had her mother's good looks, with her honey blonde curls and hazel eyes, and her father's mouth, nose and jaw line. But despite the obvious resemblance, she really didn't feel like she belonged in the family. She was the daughter of both a killer and a genius, and she didn't consider herself to be either of those things. She was clever, more so than most, but a genius? She didn't think so.

She looked around the small bedroom. It wasn't the worst place she had slept in, but it was close to it. There was no homeliness about the place. It was completely dreary. Practically all of the walls throughout the house were grey, although Maura suspected they had once been painted white. Only two rooms were different; her parents' room was a pale peach and the bathroom was tiled in periwinkle blue. The carpet in her room was a hideous shade of pink that almost made her stomach turn. The bed was hard and the bedding smelt of something awful. The walls were bare apart from a couple of flimsy looking shelves and the tiny wardrobe in the corner looked like it wouldn't be able to take much more than a few pairs of jeans. Overall, she decided, it was a thoroughly depressing room.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs pulled her out of her reverie. Her mother knocked once on the door before entering, not even waiting for Maura to tell her to come in.

'Maura, your Dad wants you downstairs.'

'Just a sec, Mom.'

'No, Maura, not in a sec. Now.'

Maura blinked. Was she in trouble? She hated being in trouble. Trouble meant more trouble. Big trouble. Sighing, she swung her legs down off the bed and headed for the door.

'And you can stop huffing about it as well.'

Yep, being the daughter of a big-time crime boss definitely had its downsides. But being the daughter of a woman who had given up on her dreams to be a neglected wife and frustrated mother was much, much worse.

**Hope you liked the first chapter, next one will be up ASAP :)**


	2. Binary Opposites

**Thanks for persevering guys, enjoy :)**

'Maura!'

'Coming, Mom.'

Maura sighed. As if this whole situation wasn't bad enough, today was her first day at yet another school. She was sick of being the new girl. She'd spend the first few months having no one to talk to and just as she was starting to fit in, her father would pull her out of school and she'd have to start all over again. She wished that she could fit in with one clique or another, but she just didn't. She wasn't exactly a geek, she wasn't emo or goth, she was far from trashy and she was too awkward to fit in with the popular crowd.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed downstairs. She could smell burnt toast but the thought of food made her feel sick. This was going to be awful.

'Not even going to say goodbye to your old Dad, huh?'

Maura spun around. Her father was sitting at the table, a book in one hand and a slice of charred toast in the other. She forced a smile.

'Sorry, Dad. I wasn't thinking.'

'Obviously.' He put down his book and stood up. 'Why aren't you eating?'

'I'm not hungry.'

'You should eat.'

'I don't want anything Dad, honestly.'

'Alright kiddo, whatever you say. You'll be home at four?'

'I finish at four. I'll be home about half past.'

'Yeah, well make sure you are.'

'You know I will. I have to go, I'm going to be late.'

'Okay princess. Give me a kiss.'

Maura stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek quickly. 'Love you.'

'You too, kid. Have a good day.'

'Thanks.' Maura grabbed her bag and dashed out the front door, praying that she wouldn't get lost. Or, she thought to herself, worse.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

As she stepped into the main reception, Maura felt a feeling of dread wash over her. The last few schools she had been at were nowhere near this big. She gazed around the room and finally spotted a desk at the edge off the room.

'Excuse me?'

The lady moved her gaze up from her magazine and looked Maura up and down. 'Yes?'

'I'm new here, do you have my timetable and things?'

The bleached-blonde lady rolled her eyes as if Maura's simple request was a massive task for her. 'Name?'

'Maura Doyle.'

'Uh huh. Here.' She shoved a bunch of papers and books into Maura's hands and picked up her magazine again.

'Okay.. Thanks..'

Maura chewed at her lip nervously and left the reception, putting the books in her bag and rifled through the papers. There was a timetable, a map and general information about the school. She checked her watch and then her timetable. She had exactly eleven minutes to find her classroom. Easy enough, she supposed.

As she wandered through the packed corridors, trying her best not to bump into anyone, she realised just how large the school actually was. There were people milling about everywhere. She tried desperately to find someone who could tell her where her classroom was but everyone seemed so wrapped up in their own lives. No one would want to be troubled by someone like _her_. She knew she wasn't worth bothering about. Finally, she resorted to tucking herself away in an empty corner and looking at her rough map. She had never been much good at reading maps but she hoped this would be clear enough for her to understand.

Eventually though, she found her way to Maths and waited patiently outside the classroom. One minute twenty. Her stomach tightened. One minute. Other students were beginning to join her now. 50 seconds. This was going to be torture. 30 seconds. At least twenty other students were all around her, staring, laughing and whispering between themselves. 10 seconds. There was still time to run…

And then the bell rang.

The class filed in and sat down, still talking amongst themselves. Maura simply stood at the side awkwardly, not quite knowing where she should sit. The teacher noticed her and beckoned her to the front.

'Okay, time to settle down now. Before we start today, I'd like to introduce a new student. This is Maura and she's going to be joining our class. I'm sure you'll all go out of your way to make her feel welcome. Maura, if you'd like to take a seat at the desk at the back there…'

Maura nodded and headed to the back of the classroom, feeling a wave of nausea as twenty pairs of eyes stared at her. As she slid herself into the seat, she noticed a textbook on her desk. She remembered borrowing a copy of this from the school library when she was twelve. This would be a piece of cake, as her Dad always said.

'Alright guys, open your textbooks and turn to-'

Miss Ryder's words were cut off by the classroom door opening. A tall, slender girl with unruly dark hair sauntered in. She wore skinny jeans, a white t shirt and sneakers and looked like she could knock someone out just by poking them. That, however, wasn't the first thing that Maura noticed. The first thing she noticed was that this girl was breathtakingly beautiful.

'Ah, Miss Rizzoli, how nice of you to join us. If you'd like to sit down..'

The girl looked from the teacher to the desk that Maura was sitting at, then back to her teacher. 'I can't, Miss. Someone's sitting in my seat.'

'Then sit on the other chair. Seeing as you missed the first five minutes of my lesson, I'll expect to you to make up that time in detention tonight. Now please take your seat and start paying a little attention.

The rest of the class, except Maura, sniggered and stared round at the girl, who scowled. She flopped into the seat, threw her bag onto the floor and sighed heavily.

'Right, moving on. Turn to page 34 in your textbooks and start answering the questions at the bottom.'

Maura did as she was told. The girl beside her was intimidating, definitely, but that didn't stop her being both striking and intriguing. She picked up her pen and started to write.

'So,' The dark haired girl began. 'What's your deal?'

Maura blinked. 'Sorry?'

'What's your story? Why did you move schools?' The girl's eyes lit up. 'Did you get kicked out?'

'No!' Maura was shocked. 'Kicked out? Why would you ask that?'

'Just wondered. You're clearly not the type though.'

Maura wasn't sure whether she should be flattered or insulted but she nodded in response.

'I'm Jane, by the way. Jane Rizzoli.' The girl added as an afterthought, holding out her hand.

'Maura,' Maura replied, shaking her hand. 'So, uh.. How long have you lived in Boston?'

'All my life. How about you?'

'Just over a week. We, uh.. We move around a lot.'

'How come?'

'My Dad's job, mostly.'

'Wow. Must be one hell of a job for him to do that to his family. What does he do?'

'He's..' Maura tried not to think for too long. 'It's kinda hard to say. I don't really know much about it. He never really tells me much about it.'

'Don't you get on?'

'Yeah, he just isn't home a lot and when he is, he's always busy.'

'Oh… Well, tell me about the rest of your family. Siblings? Grandparents? Aunts and uncles?'

'I'm an only child and if I've got grandparents, aunts or uncles I've never met them. My family are kind of messed up.'

'Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. That must really suck though. I can't imagine only having my parents.' Jane glanced up at the board and scribbled something down in her notebook. 'I have two younger brothers, not to mention aunts, uncles and cousins coming out of my ass. Gets a bit annoying sometimes, actually. So many relatives.'

Maura's eyes widened. Was that what it was like to have a normal life? She had always wondered what it would be like to have siblings. Maybe an older brother who would look out for her and protect her from all the evil in the world. Or perhaps a little sister, someone that she could share clothes with and teach her the most important lessons of life.

Jane grinned. 'You look shocked.'

'It's just weird to think about it, that's all.'

'How the other half live, huh?'

'I guess.'

Finally, the bell rang and they packed up quickly.

'You met anyone else yet?'

'No, not yet.'

'What have you got now?'

'Science with..' Maura glanced at her timetable quickly. 'Mr Mann.'

'Excellent, me too. I'll walk you.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, course.'

Maura grinned despite herself. Maybe this school wouldn't be so bad after all...

**Reviews are very welcome, thanks to all that have already :)**


	3. Invite

**Hey guys, here's chapter 3 :) Thanks to all reviewers, favouriters and followers so far. **

'I don't get it.'

'You will.'

'But it's so hard. They can't expect us to understand this, surely?'

'Come on, it's not that hard.'

'Easy for you to say, I'm not a frickin genius like you.' Jane moaned, throwing her pen onto the table. 'How the Hell am I dumber than the new girl?'

'Oh, thanks..'

'You know what I meant.'

'Yeah, I know. Look, question three is a piece of cake.'

Jane squinted at the paper. 'Who plans to stay single?'

'Right. Now re read the description of each person..'

'Oh, just tell me.'

Maura rolled her eyes. 'It's not hard, Jane.'

'Fine, I'll read it again.'

Maura smiled to herself as she watched Jane pouring over the mock French reading paper. She'd had a fairly good couple of days; most of her lessons so far had been with Jane so she wasn't totally friendless. Jane was in her Maths, English, History, PE, Science and French class too. The only lesson they didn't have together was Spanish, but she figured she could cope alone for that.

She pulled her schoolbag onto her lap, rummaging through to find the copy of Shakespeare's _Macbeth _that her English teacher had given her to take home and read. One again, she realised that she'd have so much to catch up on, but now that she had a friend like Jane, she knew she'd be okay. Although seeing Jane kick up such a fuss over some French reading didn't exactly fill her with confidence.

'Stephen.'

'Huh?'

'It's Stephen, Maura.'

'Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is. See, I told you that you knew it. It's not like they were asking you the dimensions of the Arc De Triomphe.'

'You know the dimensions of the Arc De Triomphe?'

'164 by 148 by 72.'

'Metres?'

'No, feet.'

'Wow. How did you know that?'

Maura shrugged. 'Must have read it somewhere.'

'Man, you're smart. What are doing in a dump like this? You could have gone to private school or something.'

'We never had that kind of money. Besides, I wouldn't have fitted in at one of those places.'

'Course you would. You got the brains.'

'Maybe but I don't have the upbringing and that.'

'Still.' Jane pulled a packet of crisps from the brown paper bag on the table beside her. 'You could end up going to Harvard or Princeton or somewhere like that. That would be so cool.'

'Yeah, it would. But I can't afford it.'

'You could get a job? I hear McDonalds is hiring.'

Maura frowned. 'Was that sarcasm?'

'No, really, they are. I heard some guy in Biology talking about it.'

'Jane, it costs about 56 grand to pay for somewhere like Harvard. Say I got a job at McDonalds today, they'd only pay me minimum wage. Even if I worked 35 hours a week, that's only $235.75. If I did that every week for the next forty weeks, that's only just over ten thousand dollars. I've got no chance. I've just started here, I need to study. A job is going to take up way too much time.'

'You're such a defeatist.'

'And what's to say, even if I did take the job, that I'm even going to be here for another forty weeks.'

Jane's jaw dropped. 'Why wouldn't you be here? I thought your dad had you settled now?'

Maura cursed herself. What a stupid thing to say.

'I know, but his job isn't always steady.'

'So you could be taking off again anytime?'

'No! No, of course not. You're right, we're all settled now. It's fine.'

Jane nodded silently, but the look on her face was enough to let Maura know that she didn't quite believe her. The honey blonde sighed and turned her attention back to the book, almost hoping to lose herself in the words. She hated the thought of upsetting Jane when she'd been so nice to her..

'That any good?'

Maura looked up at Jane, who was gesturing towards the book. A wave of relief flooded though her. 'Yeah, it's great. Haven't you read it?'

'I hate Shakespeare.'

'You hate a lot of things but you're good at them.'

'Like?'

'Maths, Chemistry, Gym..'

'I don't hate Gym.'

'You're always moaning about it.'

'I moan about a lot of things. Makes me feel better. But I don't hate Gym, it's my favourite subject.'

'Why?'

'Because I get to show off how I can outrun every boy in our year.'

Maura smirked. 'Except Bobby Watson.'

'Yeah, but Bobby Watson's a jerk. He doesn't count. Anyway, you've made your point.'

'Good.'

Jane grinned and carried on with her paper.

'Maura?'

'Mmm?' Maura responded, flicking through the pages of Macbeth.

'Fancy coming to my place tonight?'

'Huh?'

'I, uh.. I thought you might like to come round tonight for dinner. You could meet my family? I mean, I understand if you don't want to, but-'

'Jane, I'd love to come.'

'Really? You want to meet my fussy parents and irritating brothers?'

'Yeah, I do. Have you asked your Mom?'

'Oh yeah, I asked last night.'

'You did?'

'Yeah, course.'

'I should ask my parents too, I guess.'

'Will they be okay with it?'

'I..' Maura thought for a moment. No way in hell were they ever going to agree to that, especially her father. It shouldn't be a big deal, they knew that she could keep her mouth shut but they didn't like her getting close to people in case they found out. It was almost like they didn't want her to have friends.

'If it's a problem, I can get Ma to call your parents..'

'Oh no, it's fine. It won't be a problem.' Maura lied. 'I'll text them later.'

'Wow, your parents must be so easy going. If I want to go round a friend's, Ma insists on calling up their parents beforehand. She has to know exactly where they live, what I'll be having for dinner, if they're on the sex offender's list-'

'What?'

'Joking. But she's so fussy, it drives me mental. Your parents must be really cool. I'd love to have the independence you have.'

'Yeah.' Maura forced a smile, trying to put the irony of Jane's words out of her head. 'They're definitely not like other parents.'

**Sooo... What do you think so far? Leave a review and let me know :)**


	4. Dandelions

Hope Doyle was frustrated.

Before meeting Paddy, she could have been anything she wanted. A lawyer, a teacher, a jet setting businesswoman. But Hope wasn't really interested in any of those things. All she had ever wanted was to be a doctor. Saving people's lives on a daily basis was her dream. But as much as she dreamed, nothing could change the fact that she had responsibilities now. She had a husband and a teenage daughter, something that she had never imagined herself having to cope with so soon. Her daughter was practically half her age, a fact which almost scared her at times. In a couple of months, her daughter was going to be the same age that she had been when she had given birth. Maura would be getting all the oppurtunities that Hope should have had: finishing college, falling in love with the right person, getting a career, being able to live freely without worrying that she'd be shot everytime she went grocery shopping. She couldn't help but feel jealous of her daughter. The maternal love that she felt for Maura was so often tinged with bitterness and resentment that every time she looked at her daughter, she felt more guilt than was bearable at times. But it was more than jealously; Maura's arrival had put an end to her life. Her parents had abandoned her, she had lost contact with her friends and most importantly, she had had to give up on all of her dreams. At times, she almost wished that she had never gotten pregnant at all. She loved Maura but as for Paddy, she felt every emotion but love.

For the last eighteen years, even before she fell pregnant, everything about Paddy had become more and more sickening. It disgusted her to know that she had been waking up with a killer's arm flung protectively over her chest or watching him casually reading the paper in the morning. The hands that grazed past her had held weapons, knives and guns that had claimed the lives of more people than she cared to think about. Her relationship with Paddy was turbulent but he had never abused her. Neglect, perhaps. But he had never laid a finger on her or her daughter, which was the only consolation when it came to their marriage.

She remembered the days when she couldn't wait to wake up, to start a new day, to experience everything that life had to offer her. Now, she woke up with a heavy feeling in her heart and nothing but dread for the day ahead. It was driving her insane, living in fear, not knowing if she would be transported away from yet another neighbourhood and dumped in the middle of nowhere. As a child, Hope had dreamed of a nomadic lifestyle, travelling from town to town, saving lives wherever she could. She had once read about the Médecins Sans Frontiéres and the amazing work they did. If only Paddy had allowed her to finish her education. How much more could she have done with her life?

It wasn't quite so hard when Maura was little. At least she had someone who needed her, who depended on her. But Maura had practically been able to look after herself since she was eight, and since then Hope had been lost. All of a sudden, the tiny little girl she had nursed and looked after was grown up. Hope had been in a daze since Maura's thirteenth birthday. Her daughter didn't need her, her husband didn't seem to want her and with only her high school education and a few months of college, she had no prospects of a career. She had begged Paddy to let her stay in education, to finish her degree and do something with her life. But he had put a firm stop to that, saying that it would put the whole family at risk. She couldn't take the chance of studying away from home whilst carrying their unborn child without Paddy's protection and his business was in Boston. It was unthinkable. He had sworn to keep the family together, to keep everyone safe, and to bring in enough money to give them everything they needed. She didn't like to ask where he got the money from but she had a feeling it wasn't through any legal trade.

She was well and truly stuck.

Hope sighed and sat at the kitchen table, almost knocking over the cheap vase as she did so. It had been left in one of the cupboard and she had decided to at least try and brighten up the place with some dandelions. She had always loved them and what they meant to her. A symbol of hope and freedom, and in their later years there was a fragility to them. That was the thing about dandelions. One good blow and they were destroyed.

Was this what the rest of her life was going to be? Relishing the presence of a common garden weed in the midst of all the chaos in her life? Running from place to place, sleeping rough or living in tents when they couldn't get a house or apartment locally, being a hostess for the dirty old men that her husband worked with? Fearing for her own and her daughter's life, worrying that Maura would spend her life in the same situation? How could she spend her life this way? She was nearly 37 years old, for goodness sakes. She should have had a life by now; her memories should be of wild parties with her friends and holidays in the sun. How could you say you'd had a life when all you can remember is nappies, dusting and a constant urge to look over your shoulder?

Without another thought, she reached across for the pen and notepad on the other side of the table and began to write.

And in that moment, Hope Doyle made a decision that would change her entire life.


	5. Belonging

**Heyyy all, thank you to those who are reading and reviewing, it's always nice to know how my readers are feeling about it :)**

Maura was practically buzzing with excitement as she and Jane headed up the drive to her house. She had never had dinner at a friend's house and at times, she thought she never would. Having a friend like Jane was the best thing to have ever happened to her in her life. She would be the first to admit that the concept of friendship was fairly alien to her. In fact, the concept of humanity in general was pretty unfamiliar to her. But as she and Jane chatted away happily, as if they'd known each other forever, she felt confident that everything was going to change.

They were seconds away from the door when it swung open, revealing a woman who Maura assumed was Jane's mother. She wore a blue apron over a checked shirt and jeans and she had a wide smile on her face. Maura couldn't help but smile back; the woman was exactly how she had imagined a mother to be.

'You must be Maura,' the woman began as soon as they were in earshot. 'It's so nice to meet you. Janie hardly stopped talking about you last night. It's so nice for her to have a friend round, she doesn't have-'

'Yeah, thanks Ma.' Jane cut in quickly. '

Maura bit her lip. She wasn't really used to these situations. 'It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mrs Rizzoli.'

'Oh please, call me Angela. Mrs Rizzoli is my mother-in-law. Why don't you girls go upstairs for a bit and I'll call you when dinner's ready?'

'Cool. What's for dinner, Ma?'

'Oh, only my famous homemade lasagne. Is that okay with you, Maura?'

'Um.. Yeah, that sounds lovely. Thank you.'

'You don't sound sure. You're not a vegetarian, are you?'

'Oh no, I just… Well, I've never had lasagne before.'

Jane's eyes widened. 'You've never had lasagne?'

Maura shook her head. 'No, should I have?'

'Wow, we have to educate you. You like Italian food?'

'I like pizza.'

'Close enough.'

Maura nodded hesitantly.

'Sorry, my parents just don't tend to eat anything that you can't order over the phone or heat in two minutes.'

Angela looked as though she was about to pass out. 'Really? How do you live?'

'Ma, don't be rude.'

'No, it's fine.' Maura half smiled. 'My father works strange hours so it's just convenient where he's concerned. I tend to cook for myself but where we've only just moved in, we haven't got our whole kitchen set up yet.'

'I see. Well honey, you're always welcome to come and have dinner with us. How about you girls go sit down while I finish making dinner.'

'Awesome, thanks Ma. Come on Maura..'

Maura grinned as Jane grabbed her hand and led her into the house. As she stepped inside, her heart missed a beat. It was the type of house she'd always dreamed of having, not lavishly decorated but homely. The walls were painted in a pale brown with laminate flooring and there were family photos all over the place, a far cry from the peeling paintwork and bare walls in her own house. She had never lived anywhere like this before. Maura was only used to minimal comforts, living on the bare essentials. It was strange to see how other people lived. The Rizzoli house was simple, yet warm and cosy. For the first time in her life, she felt safe in the presence of others. She felt like she belonged.

'I know it doesn't look like a lot,' Jane began. 'But I guess it's home.'

'Are you kidding? I think it's amazing.'

'Really? Compared to how most other people in our school live, this is...Well it's far from amazing.'

'No, it's wonderful. You're luckier than you think.'

Jane raised her eyebrows just as two young boys sprinted downstairs. The older of the two had messy black hair like Jane. He was holding a football and seemed to be about thirteen, while the younger one, who had a more sandy colour to his hair and a cheeky smile, looked around ten.

'Hey boys, where do you think you're going?'

'We're going to go play football.'

'I don't think Ma will be happy about that Tommy, we have dinner soon.'

The younger boy scowled. 'But I want to go out.'

'Yeah, and I want to be an only child. Never mind. Go on, scram. We have company.'

Both boys looked Maura up and down before the older boy spoke. 'Who's she?'

Frankie, don't be rude. She happens to be my friend, Maura. Okay?'

'Friend? Since when did you have friends?'

'Will you get lost? If you want to play football, go and play in the garden.'

'Yes Ma.' The boys mock saluted and ran off to the garden.'

'They're cute,' Maura grinned as she watched them go.

'Cute? They're practically feral.'

'Think yourself lucky that you've got them. I'd kill for a sibling.'

'Well, you're welcome to take them home with you.'

'I don't think my parents would be happy about that.'

Jane smiled at her friend. 'I'm not surprised. Come on, I'll show you my room.'

Jane's bedroom was even better than Maura had imagined. The walls were pale blue with a dark blue carpet. She had a white bedspread with a blue pattern all over and there were matching curtains hanging in front of the window, something whih Maura considered a novelty. All of her furniture was a a light wood and took up most of the room around the walls.

'Wow, your room is so...'

'Manly?'

Maura laughed. 'I was going to say tidy, actually. It's not manly.'

'It is a bit. I bet yours is all pink and girly.'

'It's not girly at all. I do have a pink carpet but only because we haven't decorated properly yet.'

'Wow. Anyway, the only reason my room is tidy is because Ma does it. Personally, I prefer a more lived-in look but Ma hates mess. Pa goes mad, having her tidy up behind him all the time.'

'What does he do?'

'He's a plumber.'

'Cool. We could do with one of those at home.'

'I'll get him to take a look at your place if you like?'

Maura bit her lip. 'No, uh.. Thanks, but Dad doesn't like using tradesmen.'

'Are you sure? He'd do it cheap..'

'No, it's not that. Thank you, but we'll manage. We always do.' Maura forced a smile. 'What about your mom?'

'Mah, she doesn't really work. Just does everything around the house. She moans about it but if she didn't do so much, she'd go mad.'

Maura was about to respond when Angela's voice drifted up the stairs.

'Dinner kids!'

'Thank God, I'm starving.' Jane grinned. 'Come on, you're going to love Ma's cooking.'

As Maura followed Jane done the stairs and into the kitchen, the smell of cooking making her mouth water, she knew that she had found what she had been looking for for 17 years.

**What do you think? Lemme know :)**


	6. Home Is Where The Hurt Is

Maura had never felt so carefree as she made her way home that evening. Angela had offered, practically begged, to drive her home but she needed the walk to prepare for what might be coming. She knew that she shouldn't be out so late alone in case she was spotted by an enemy of her father's and she was certain that when she got in, her parents would be waiting to deliver the same old crap she'd heard time and again. But at that moment, nothing could cloud her mind after her evening with Jane. It was all she could think about. Her new best friend.. She smiled to herself. The words sounded nice even in her head. She was so lucky; Jane was kind, funny, strong, beautiful...

Beautiful?

Maura stopped in the middle of the street. Was that the kind of thing you were supposed to think about your friend?

Blinking herself out of a daydream, Maura carried on walking back. Home was barely two minutes away but she wished she could just keep walking. Just keep going, all the way around the world until she had done a complete circle and ended up back at Jane's.

If only.

She swallowed her fear as she turned into her street. What was the worst that could happen? What right did they have to tell her off? She was almost 18 and more mature than more people her age. She had mostly followed her father's rules about taking smaller streets or if she did have to take main streets, making sure she caught herself up in crowds. She had done everything they had asked forever. How could they continue to starve their only daughter of proper social contact? She wasn't really interested in being able to go to wild parties until three in the morning but the occasionall sleepover would have been nice.

Cautiously, she put her hand in he bag as she approached the house, pulled out her key and let herself in, all the while whispering a prayer.

The sight before her was completely different to how she had imagined.

Her father sat alone at the small table in the dining room, a large glass of what looked like whisky in his hand. He seemed to be looking down at a piece of paper on the table, his eyes glued to the words on the page. It wasn't until the door closed behind her that he looked up, illuminated only by the dim lighting from the single bare ceiling light. The rough, tanned skin on his face was covered in a sheen of sweat and tears glistened in his eyes. He stared up at his daughter and held the gaze for a few seconds before letting his eyes drop back to the paper.

'Dad?' Maura took a hesitant step forward, dropping her schoolbag in the hall. 'Dad, what's the matter?'

Paddy said nothing, continuing to stare down. Maura frowned and walked over to him, scared to even ask. 'Dad?'

Nothing.

'Daddy please, you're scaring me...'

Paddy Doyle looked back up, his tear stained face causing Maura's stomach to flip over . She had never seen her father cry and it scared her to think of what could have happened to draw that level of emotion from him. He remained silent but he handed her the slip of paper, not even moving his eyeline.

Maura took it hesitantly, barely able to take her eyes away from her father.

She hardly dared to look down at the words but she knew that she would never get it from him

There on the page, in her mother's ever neat handwriting, were two words in black ink.

_I'm sorry._

Maura's heart dropped into her stomach. No.. God, no...

Clutching the piece of paper tightly, she raced up the stairs and into her parents' bedroom. Everything seemed neat and tidy as always, but as she pulled open the doors of the small wardrobe in the corner, she could tell instantly that most of her mother's clothes were missing. Crap. She rummaged through the chest of drawers but the only full ones were the ones containing her father's possessions. The few things that her mother owned, the important items tat she kept in her own emergency bag were missing along with the black holdall that she used when they went on the run. She didn't know but she could guess that there would be money missing from the emergency stash under the mattress too. Her next instinct was to grab her phone, dialling the number on her mom's disposable phone. No answer. She hung up and tried again, praying for an answer. She had never wanted to hear her mother's voice so desperately in all her life. There was still no answer so she dialled once more.

'It's no use...'

Maura spun around to find her father standing in the doorway. 'You tried?'

He shook his head, remnants of tears in his eyes. 'No, I haven't. But she wouldn't have answered anyway. She's made her decision.'

Maura felt sick. She didn't want to stand there, listening to her father make excuses for her mother, seeing his face and not know if it was his fault or her own. She barged past him and ran into her own bedroom, flinging herself onto the bed and hugging her pillow. How could she not have seen this coming? Her mom had been in a worse mood recently; normally Maura could see that she was trying her best for her daughter but she had noticed something beginning to fade. She wanted to be upset, to cry until her eyes were dry and her mind a little soothed, or maybe to feel some anger and tear something up or punch a wall. Truth was, she couldn't feel anything. She was completely numb.

A loud smash from downstairs made her jump. Her father, apparently, was feeling anger. She could only hope it was just a glass, rather than a window.

Maura pulled her pillow tighter to her chest and rolled onto her back. It was going to be a long night.


	7. Hard Knocks

**Heyy guys, you're still here! Congratulations :) Enjoy. **

'Alright ladies, I hope you remembered your kit because today we're playing netball.'

There was a unanimous moan that erupted from every corner of the changing rooms. Maura turned her back to the rest of the girls and dug around in her bag for the change of clothes that Jane had reminded her to bring. She could feel her friend's movements next to her and she could hear her talking but her head was full of buzzing. She had hardly slept the previous night and she couldn't concentrate on anything over the pounding in her skull. She had completely ignored Jane's text this morning, asking her to meet her outside the gates, and although she felt bad she was sure that she just needed to be left alone to wrap her head around everything.

'Maura? Maura, you in there?'

'Hm? Oh, sorry.'

'What's up with you? You didn't reply to my text this morning and you've been dead quiet.'

'Sorry, I'm just tired.'

'You sure? Did I do something wrong yesterday?'

'No, course not. Please just drop it.'

Maura pulled her top on and sat on the bench to do up her shoelaces. This was going to be a long day.

It wasn't much better outside. Even the chilly March breeze wasn't enough to at least wake her up, even if it couldn't completely distract her. But rather than concentrating on playing netball, Maura could not divert her mind from the situation her mother had left her in, as well as doing her best to stay awake. She could just about hear the noises around her: the redheaded coach blowing her whistle, the sound of footsteps and shouting, the sound of leaves rustling. How could this still be happening? Her life was crashing down around her and everything else was just carrying on as normal.

She shook herself into reality. Come on Maura, focus on the ball..

_The note._

Being passed from Amber to Gina to that girl with the blonde hair whose name she didn't know...

_Her words. Two words._

Nicole to Kaori to...

_I'm sorry. She was sorry?_

The ball was heading in her direction...

_How could she do-?_

A sharp searing pain in the side of her head, an impact that knocked her off balance.

She winced as she hit the ground hard, unable to move with shock and embarrassment. She felt her cheeks burning with shame as she heard giggles all around her and tears began streaming down her face. Not because of the pain and humiliation or the pain. Because it had hit her, quite literally, that her mother was gone. Within what felt like minutes, but was only a few secons, a crowd of girls were bundling around her. Some were still laughing, some were genunely concerned but most just wanted to be a part of the drama. She saw Jane squat in front of her and try to comfort her but she shirked back, almost afraid to feel any human connection. Her chest was tightening and her head was spinning. What the hell was happening to her?

'Everyone out of the way, now!' Coach Jordan yelled as she ran towards them, giving a couple of short, sharp blows on her whistle as a signal for everyone to scatter. 'Come on Maura, what are you doing down there? It can't have hurt that much, for goodness sakes.'

Maura tried desperately to force out some words, but between the gulping sobs she knew whatever she said would be a waste of breath. She had read enough books to know that if she didn't get a hold of herself soon, she would hyperventilate at worst or at best she would embarrass herself further.

The coach sighed. 'Alright. Rizzoli, take her to the nurse. Make sure she knows she needs to toughen up a bit if she's going to be in my gym class.'

Maura felt Jane's strong hands under her armpits, lifting her to her feet and guiding her carefully inside. As they walked, Maura felt her breathing relax and her sobs began to subside. Her legs were shaking so badly that she kept stumbling, each time being caught and steadied by her friend, but slowly she was calming down. By the time they got inside, Jane felt comfortable enough to relax her grip on Maura's shoulders.

'Honestly,' Maura said quickly. 'I.. I can go from here.'

'Don't be silly, what if you passed out on the way or something?'

'I won't.'

'Do you even know where the nurse's office is?'

'I have a map.'

'Oh come on...'

'Jane, please...' Maura turned to go but Jane caught her wrist.

'Oh no you don't. Right, what's going on?'

'Huh?'

'You heard me. You might think you can push me away when you feel like it or whatever but you're my best friend. You can tell me absolutely anything. I just hate seeing you like this because believe it or not, I really do care about you. But what's worse is that I can't even do anything to make it better because I don't know what the problem is. What I do know is that you're not the type to lay on the ground and sob over a knock to the head so please, for everybody's sake, tell me what happened.'

Maura felt another surge of tears but coughed instead, trying to repress them. 'She's gone...'

'Who's gone?'

'My, uh... My mom...'

Jane stared. 'Oh Maura... When?'

'Yesterday. Last night.' Maura wiped away a tear. 'I got back from your place and she was gone. All of her clothes and everything. There was just a note...'

Jane couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother was the most dedicated woman she knew; the idea of a parent leaving their child shocked her, particularly a child like Maura. How could a mother do that?

'I'm so sorry...'

Maura shook her head. 'That's what the note said. I'm sorry. She left me alone in that place with him and all she could say was sorry?' Her face crumpled again. 'Sorry Jane, I just don't know what to do...'

Jane said nothing just wrapped her arms around her friend and listened to her sobs. Everything she could have said sounded stupid in her head. So the two girls stood in near silence, holding each other, while Jane shot evil glares at anyone who walked past them. Because if she was honest, Jane didn't really know what to do either.


	8. Sleepover

**Hey, hope everyone's enjoying the story so far :) **

'So how did you get your dad to agree to this? I thought he didn't like you going to sleepovers.'

Maura sighed and propped herself up on one elbows, half of her arm resting on Jane's pillow. Apart from school, this was the first time she had left the house for just over a week. Her father had been more irritable now her mom was gone but he was around the house less. He was always drinking with his associates or doing some form of 'business' with a client. She had been afraid to ask if she could go out in case he snapped at her but she had caught him at at his most docile. Rather than a straight no, which she feared, he had simply grunted and claimed he 'couldn't give a toss anymore'.

'He was a bit grumpy when I asked but he was okay with it.'

'That's good. I would imagine he'd be a bit grumpy after...Well, now he's a single parent.'

'I suppose...' Maura's stomach tightened as it always did when subject relating to either one of her parents came up. 'I just don't think he ever envisioned being left in this situation.'

'Why would you? I can't imagine how Pop would cope if Ma left. With a house to keep tidy, bills to pay, an 18 year old, a 13 year old and a 10 year old to look after and no idea how to boil an egg, let alone cook for four people every night he'd have a heart attack within a week. It must be awful, having your life turned around like that. There you are one moment living a perfectly normal life, then next thing you know you lose the woman you love and it's just you and your 17 year old daughter... '

Maura didn't know whether to laugh or burst into tears. Normal life? Far from it.

'Excuse me,' the blonde stood up quietly and headed for the door. 'I have to go to the bathroom.'

... ... ... ... ... ...

Maura returned from the bathroom to find Jane sitting cross legged on the bed, her hands behind her back. When their eyes met, Jane leapt up and bounded over to her.

'You need cheering up.'

'Right... And your plan is?'

'Movie time!'

Maura raised her eyebrows. 'Why do I get the feeling that you're about to pull out some form of action film?'

Jane grinned. 'Not quite. I couldn't decide what type of film you'd like best..'

'And?'

'I thought we'd go with horror. I mean, everyone likes a good horror film, right?'

'Not quite everyone...'

'Oh come on,' Jane pulled out the DVD from behind her back, letting Maura read the case. 'Best horror film ever.'

Maura's eyes widened. 'Silence of the Lambs? Really? I thought you wanted to cheer me up.'

'It'll take your mind of everything. Come on, you haven't lived until you've seen it.'

'Isn't it supposed to be really disturbing?'

'Yep.'

'Then why-?'

'It'll be fine, promise.' Still grinning, Jane took out the disc and slotted it into the TV opposite her bed.

'Will I need the duvet to hide behind?

'Don't worry. If you get scared, you can hide in my shoulder.'

'Never mind that, I may need to hold your hand most of the way through.'

Jane smiled. 'That's perfectly okay too.'

... ... ... ... ... ...

'Eugh, I'm starving...' Jane groaned as the credits began to appear on the screen. 'Want to get some of Ma's homemade pizza? She left some in the fridge for us.'

'Sure. With some fava beans and a nice Chianti?'

She laughed and gave Maura's shoulder a little nudge. 'That freaked you out a little, huh?'

'Are you kidding? I'm traumatised for life.'

'So what kind of films do you like?'

Maura thought for a moment. 'Honestly, I don't know. I haven't seen many. I watched a couple of Disney films when I was little that my parents would put on to keep me occupied when we were driving or whatever. Dad had a portable DVD player that they used to leave in the backseat for me. But other than that, I might have seen the odd film in school every now and then but not many.'

Jane's eyes widened. 'Why have you never watched them on your TV? I mean, they air movies all the times, even if you don't have DVDs...'

'Just don't, okay. We just don't.'

The dark haired girl looked hurt. 'Alright, sorry, I was only asking.'

'No Jane, I... I didn't mean it like that. I don't really know why but we don't. You'll have to educate me.'

Jane's frowned softened and she smiled widely. 'That I can do.' She paused. 'So have you thought much about college?'

Maura sighed. 'College is the last thing on my mind right now.'

'Surely you've thought about it? You're so smart. You could go to Harvard if you wanted to. What do you actually want to do?'

'You won't laugh?'

'No, course not.'

'I want to be a doctor. A medical examiner, actually.'

'You want to dissect dead people?'

'Yeah.' Maura went pink. 'I mean, the dead stick around. They won't leave me, judge me. I can help them.'

Jane smiled. 'That's... kinda nice I guess. But you've got to go to some kind of college for that. A proper one. Then there's med school and stuff.'

'Yeah, I know. We just wouldn't be able to afford it though.'

'Join the crew. I'd love to go to BCU.'

'Boston Cambridge University?'

'Yeah. Even if I got in, we don't have that kind of money. It would cost Pa every cent he has and we only just get by as it is. I can't do that to him.'

'That's very noble. What do you want to do?'

It was Jane's turn to blush. 'I want to be a detective.'

'Wow, that's amazing. You could totally do that.'

'I know. But I could do that if I went to Junior College then joined the police academy. You on the other hand...'

'I'm screwed.' Maura rubbed her eyes. Going to college had always been a dream, a futile one at that, but she was desperate to go. Even if by some miracle her father didn't mind her going, she hated to think where the money would come from. She really was screwed.


	9. Kill Or Cure

_Maura leant her head against the car window as they drove along. She wasn't focusing on the view outside, nor was she letting her own thoughts get to her. She just stared at the seat in front, trying to block out the sound of raised voices. _

_Then a round of gunshots as the car came to a sudden halt. The two front doors flew open and her parents bolted out, leaving her alone in the car, trying desperately to follow them out but her limbs were paralysed._

_She felt a rush of air and a rough hand on her neck, dragging her out of the car. Something hard and cold was pressed to her head. _

_Two figures appeared in front of her. Her mother, begging for her life. Her father with his hands in the air. _

_She saw the flash of silver, the gun in a calloused hand. A gunshot and a gasp of pain. _

The figures dissolved in front of her, just as she let out an ear piercing scream.

'Maura?'

Jane's voice brought her back to reality. She could feel her heart racing and every nerve in her body tingled with fear. She rubbed her eyes; she could just about make out Jane's outline through the darkness.

'Huh?'

'Maura, you were screaming. What's up?'

'Was I?' Maura swallowed, trying to hide the fear in her voice. 'I didn't-'

'What on earth is going on in here?' The door flung open and the main light came on, revealing Angela in her pyjamas and dressing gown. 'Girls, is everything alright?'

'Maura had a nightmare.' Jane piped up, blinking hard at the sudden light change. 'She screamed.'

'A nightmare? Oh honey, are you alright? You want me to make you some cocoa?'

Maura shook her blonde curls. 'No thank you. I'm fine, really. It was just a dream.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks though.'

'Okay, if you're sure. Goodnight girls.'

Angela turned the light out and closed the door behind her. Jane waited until she had gone before turning the lamp beside her bed on again.

'What did you dream about?'

'Oh, I.. I don't remember.'

Jane raised one eyebrow. 'Really? Come on, you can tell me, you know?'

'Why would you care?'

'Of course I care. Why wouldn't I? You're my friend. That's what friends are for, isn't it?'

'If you say so.'

'It is.'

Maura sighed. 'I have these nightmares a lot. They're the same every time. I start off in the car with my parents. I'm in the back and my parents are arguing, but I can't hear what they're saying. Then out of nowhere, there's gunfire. My parents are yelling. They get out of the car and run but I can't move. Then suddenly the door opens and someone drags me out. He's got a gun to my head. Then, at the last moment, my parents appear out of nowhere and he fires the gun at my dad. That's when I wake up.'

'Crap..' Jane's eyes were wide. 'Must freak you out.'

'It does. I'll be fine, I just need to calm down.'

'You want to get in my bed?'

'Really?'

'Yeah, course. It helps to have a friend close by.'

'I don't want to keep you awake.'

'Oh you won't, believe me.' Jane grinned and patted the small space in the bed next to her. 'Come on, jump in.'

Maura thought for a moment before climbing into the bed beside Jane. It was warm and cosy, not like her own bed at home. She turned the side light off and rolled onto her side. She felt Jane turn over next to her and smiled as an arm crept around her waist, holding her protectively.

'Thank you,' She said quietly, placing her own hand over Jane's.

'For what?'

'For this. For everything.'

'You're welcome.' Jane slotted her head into the nape of Maura's neck. 'Maura?'

'Mmm?'

'Why would you dream that your father was being shot?'

Maura froze. She knew that one day, Jane would start to ask questions. She had revealed more to her than she had to anyone else, things that could potentially threaten her safety if they were heard by the wrong people. Surely though, she was safe telling Jane? Her father had warned her constantly about talking to people, however well she thought she knew them,

'You, uh... You ever heard of Paddy Doyle?'

'Yeah he's some kind of crime boss or something, right?'

'Basically. And he's my father.'

Jane snorted. 'Very funny Maura, that's a good one. Now come on, be serious.'

'Jane, I've never been more serious in my life.'

Her friend went pale. 'Your dad is..? But... You... Huh?'

'My father is Paddy Doyle. That's why I'm not usually allowed out apart from school. That's why my mom left. That's why I probably can't go to college. That's why I've been having these stupid nightmares. And that's why I don't watch many films, because we've never had a television in case paying the license puts us at risk of getting caught.'

'So how-?'

'My dad pays all our bills and rent in cash so it's untraceable. But we move around so much that even if we had a TV, it wouldn't be worth it.'

'Your last name..'

'My last name is Doyle because no sane mob boss would let his wife and daughter take his name. Kind of a double bluff, I guess.'

Jane sat up. 'I need a moment to take this in...' She rubbed her forehead and pushed hair out of her eyes. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'I couldn't... Jane, I've just put both of us at risk. The fewer people that know, the safer I am. That's what Dad says anyway.'

'So why are you telling me now?'

'Because I trust you, more than I've ever trusted anyone in my life. I know you're strong enough to deal with anything that comes as a result of this and.. I really needed to tell someone. I've been wandering round with this secret for 17 years and I've never met anyone that I would even consider telling but you, you're worth it.' Maura paused for second. 'You know what, even if this happens to be the biggest mistake of my life, I think I'll regret it more if I don't than if I do...'

'What do you-?' Jane began but her words cut off as Maura's lips met hers.

'I'm sorry...' Maura whispered as they broke apart. 'God, I'm sorry, but I just... I couldn't...'

'Hey, ssh...' Jane smiled and tucked a loose strand of Maura's hair behind her ear. 'Don't be sorry. I would have done it if you hadn't.'

'You would?'

'Of course. Maura, I love you. I just didn't know if you felt the same way and what with everything you've been going through lately, I thought it might look like I was taking advantage...'

A small smile played on Maura's lips. 'I appreciate that. I love you Jane..'

'I love you too.. Come on, come here...' Jane wrapped her arm round Maura and laid back down. 'I'll keep you safe, Maura. I promise.'

Maura closed her eyes, her head resting on Jane's chest. 'I believe you.'

**Good move? Bad move? Let me know.**


	10. Thin Ice

**Hey guys. I can't believe the news about Lee Thompson Young, what a tragic loss. RIP :(**

Maura sat on the stairs, drumming her fingers on the banisters lightly. Jane had called her the previous night and told her that she was taking her out for their first official date. After almost two weeks, their relationship was progressing steadily. Their kiss in Jane's bedroom, although impromptu, had sparked off a whole range of emotions in both of them and everything was starting out nicely. They had chosen, in order to avoid any hassle, to be subtle about their relationship at school but they had decided that they didn't have much to lose by being open in public.

She looked down at her attire. Jane had instructed her to wear something warm but flexible. She had never had quite enough money to afford designer labels or the like but she felt quite happy in sneakers, jeans and a checked shirt. She could only imagine what Jane had in mind. Paintballing sounded feasible but she didn't know of a local centre. What on earth could she be planning?

She could hear her father moving around upstairs. At least he wasn't snapping at her everytime she spoke or moved. He was rarely like that, only when he was stressed or annoyed. In general, he was nicer to her than he was to anyone else. She knew he loved her and that he had loved her mother too, he just didn't quite understand how hard it had been for either of them. His business was a big part of his life, she understood that. It kept them afloat financially if nothing else. She wasn't fussed about any lack of attention from him; some days, it was easier to not have him around. But on the rare occasions that they did sit and talk properly, she wished she could make him understand how she felt.

A buzz from her mobile made her heart leap. She dug it out and checked the message.

_Am outside when you're ready baby xx_

Maura smiled and shot off a quick reply. She stood up, grabbed her bag, shouted goodbye to her father and left quickly.

Jane was parked in the street outside. Somehow, she must have convinced her dad to lend her his car. Maura knew that even though Jane had passed her test, her family didn't have the money to buy her a car of her own, but she managed to borrow her dad's every now and then when he wasn't busy.

She grinned and climbed into the passenger seat, next to a similarly clad Jane, except she was wearing a black t shirt.

'Hey you,' Jane said with a coy smile.

'Hey..' Maura smiled back as she leaned in, catching Jane's lips in her own. 'How are you?'

'All the better for seeing you. You?'

'I'm good.'

'Good.' Jane started the engine and drove out of the street. 'Let's go.'

'So?' Maura asked as soon as they had turn out of the road. 'Where are we going?'

'Never you mind.'

'Oh, don't. You know I hate surprises. Please tell me.'

'You'll find out when we get there,' Jane teased. 'You look good, by the way.'

Maura looked down at her outfit. 'If you say so. So do you.'

'I do say so. Just do the next button up, will you? Or I'm going to end up crashing.'

The blonde chuckled and did as she was asked. 'Anything you say. So where are we going?'

'Will you pack it in? I'm not going to tell you. We'll be there in about five minutes, just relax.'

'I'm relaxing.'

'Good.'

They chatted lightly throughout the drive, but Maura frowned when Jane pulled into a large car park in front of what she realised was the leisure centre.

'Jane?'

She grinned. 'Let's just go in, okay? You'll soon see.'

'Should I be scared?'

'You think I'd set you wrong?' Jane raised one eyebrow jokingly. 'It'll be fine, I promise.'

'You're sure?'

'I'm positive. Come on..' The dark haired girl held out her hand and Maura slipped her own in gently. Whatever antics Jane had planned, she knew as long as they were together, it wouldn't matter what they did. Just as long as they had each other.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

'No. No, no, no, no, no. No way.'

'What?' Jane frowned as she stepped away from the front desk, holding out a pair of ice skates. 'Do you not like ice skating?'

'It's not that I don't like it, I just.. Well, I've never done it before.'

'Never? You've never been ice skating?'

'No, and I don't intend to.'

'You've never been involved with a woman before. Look how that turned out.'

'That's different. You're the best thing to ever happen to me..'

'Really?' Jane's eyes widened slightly.

'Of course. Anyway, we turned out pretty well. This.. Well, I'm not so sure..'

'I'll buy you a hot chocolate afterwards.'

Maura began to argue but thought for a minute. 'With marshmallows and whipped cream?'

'And chocolate sprinkles if you like. I might even buy you lunch as well.'

'Mmm.. Okay, I'll do it.'

'There we go. I promise I'll take good care of you.'

'I don't doubt you.'

Jane smiled and they sat down on the steps in front of the rink to change their shoes. The place was surprisingly empty, only a few people were milling about and even less were on the ice. When they were ready, they stood up together, gripped each other's hand tightly and stepped cautiously onto the ice.

'Holy shit,' Maura mumbled as she almost slipped over. Jane, are you trying to kill me or something?'

'Come on Maur, no one's expecting you to be perfect. It's your first time. First time I went, I spent more time on my ass than on my feet.'

'And how are you now?'

'Not bad I guess. But I'm not exactly Jane Torville.'

'I think I can safely say the same about myself.'

'You'll be fine. Shall we try moving?'

'If we must.' Maura gripped onto Jane's hand and slid her foot forward slightly, but she lost her balance and within seconds, both girls were on the floor. When they had managed to stop giggling, Jane pulled them both up and held Maura close to her to keep her upright.

'Okay, just take my hand and try to stay on your feet. I'll move first. If you think you're going to fall.. Well, let go of my hand for goodness sakes..'

'Oh, thanks.'

'Joking. I don't mind. Here, come over to the side and you can hold that if you like. I'll go slowly and if you want me to speed up or slow down, we can. It's up to you.'

'Promise?'

'I promise. Ready?'

'Yep.'

'Steady?'

'Nowhere near.'

Jane rolled her eyes. 'I swear, I won't let anything happen to you.'

Maura nodded and reached out for the side rail. 'Okay, I'm ready. Let's go.'

'Okay..' Jane started skating slowly, keeping a tight grip on Maura's hand. She could see she was a little wobbly but between them they managed to stay upright. She skated in time to the music that was playing and she noticed that Maura had equally good, if not better rhythm once she started.

They had been skating for almost two hours when Jane pulled them to one side.

'I'm starving, you want to grab some lunch?'

'That'd be great. You buying then?'

'I said I would, didn't I? I invited you out so I guess I should treat you.'

'Well, thank you. And thank you for bringing me here, it was perfect.'

'I knew you'd like it in the end. Come on, let's get out of here before we get knocked over. There's loads more people now.'

They climbed off the ice, found their shoes and changed them quickly before heading into the restaurant for lunch. Hot chocolates, burgers and hot brownies landed on their table and warmed the shivering pair up considerably.

'So,' Jane began, swallowing her mouthful of her burger. 'Did I get it right?'

Maura grinned and put a hand on her knee under the table. 'You got it perfect. Thank you.'

'My pleasure. Can I ask you a question?'

'Sure.'

'Have you ever been with a guy?'

Maura choked on one of her French fries. 'Been?'

'You know what I mean. Slept with.'

'In the Biblical sense?'

'Yeah.'

'No, never. We never usually stay in one place long enough for me to make any close bonds. Have you ever... You know?'

Jane nodded. 'Once. Lee Staines last year after Junior Prom, but don't worry. Nothing worth writing home about.'

'You didn't enjoy it?'

'Course not.'

'Well that's good I guess. I mean...'

'I know what you mean.'

'I kissed a guy once,' Maura began, blushing slightly. 'But that was ages ago and it was disgusting.'

'Good, at least I can be certain that you're mine.'

'Oh, is that how it works?'

Jane grinned. 'What, you think I'm some kind of dominatrix?'

'God, I hope not... I am, you know?'

'What?'

'Yours..'


	11. No Rest For The Wicked

'Maura, get up!'

Maura's eyelids fluttered open and she sat up slowly. Her father was in her bedroom, throwing various items into a small satchel. His tone of voice meant one thing. Trouble.

'Dad, what is it?'

'What do you think it is?'

'No Dad, not again..' Maura flung the duvet off of herself and eased herself up. Her pyjamas hung off of her bony frame. 'You promised..'

'Never mind what I promised. O'Reilly and his boys are on their way down here after their pound of flesh. Now, get your ass in gear. Nate's round the corner, we're staying at his place until we figure out where to go next.'

'But Nate lives miles away,' Maura protested, grabbing her emergency bag from under her bed. 'How am I going to get to school tomorrow?'

'God, are you trying to get me killed? We can talk about it later but for now, I really don't give a rat's ass. Clear?'

The blonde swallowed and nodded. 'Clear.'

'Good. If you're not downstairs in two minutes, you're on your own.'

Maura stood, shocked into silence. What the hell was she going to do? She was momentarily tempted by the idea of staying there alone; after all, she could do everything around the home that needed doing. But she knew that her father would be furious if she didn't come with him and without him, she could still be in danger. She couldn't think straight, her father's yells were enough to make her grab her bag, shove as much as she could into it and sprint down the stairs.

'Come on, in the car.' Paddy grabbed the bag from Maura and jumped into the passenger seat of the car. Maura, still in shock, climbed into the back behind her father and watched out of the window as they pulled way from the only place she had ever felt any form of happiness. That house had more memories than any of the other places she had lived in before and it was all she could do not to cry as the house rolled out of sight.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

'Thanks for this, Nate.'

'Not a problem, son. I owe you one anyway. You got me out of a few messes in my time.' The old man looked up into the rearview mirror. 'Hello Maura. Nice to see you again.'

Maura shuddered. This wasn't her first encounter with Nathan Goddard but he gave her the same vulnerable feeling every time she saw him. She had spent entire nights with him at times. He had never assaulted her, no, but his hand had a funny way of 'accidentally' grazing against her breasts at times. Even his leering smile made her stomach turn. He was a shady character, dressed in dark jeans, a black t shirt, tatty trainers and sunglasses. On the back seat next to Maura was a leather jacket which she assumed also belonged to him. He was short but skinny and lacking in muscle, but Maura knew he had enough intelligence to make up for that. That was one of the things that frightened her most about hm.

They spent the rest of the journey in silence. Maura herself had nothing to say to either of the men, and she knew her father well enough to know that he was formulating in a plan in his head. She closed her eyes and rested her hot head on the cool leather seats. These things always happened in such a rush, she still felt as though she were in a daze. This was a bad dream and any moment she would wake up and the whole nightmare would be over. But as they pulled up outside the house, she felt a pang in her stomach that told her that this was most definitely real.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

'Hey there...'

Maura looked up at her father who was standing in the doorway. She had tried to blank everything else out and focus on getting what she needed from her bag but all she had achieved was sitting cross legged on the floor with the bag on her lap and a vacant expression on her face.

'What?'

'Just thought I'd tell you Nate's made us some toast if you want some.'

'I'm not hungry.'

Paddy sighed and eased himself down on her water bed. 'Fair enough.'

There was a moment of silence. 'So?'

'So what?'

'How do I get there?'

'What are you on about?'

'School, Dad. How do I get to school?'

'Give it a rest, Maura. You can forget about that poxy school.'

'What?'

'You heard me. I don't want you there.

Maura blinked, trying to force back tears. 'But Jane...'

'Who the heck is Jane?'

'She's my.. My best friend, Dad. I told you about her.'

'Yeah?' Paddy met his daughter's pleading eyes with his own cold ones. 'And what did I tell you about getting too close to people? You know the rules, Maura, it's time you started taking notice of me. Look, once I've got myself together, we'll be hitting the road. Just you and me, kiddo. No more violence, no more guns, just me and my girl.'

Maura gaped. 'Dad...'

'What? That's what you wanted, wasn't it? This is it, Maura. You and me. I'm going to be a better dad from now on, I promise. Alright?'

Maura could just about manage a nod in response; she felt as though she had been hit in the stomach with a tonne of bricks. Her father patted her lightly on the back and shuffled off into the living room, leaving the door wide open. Still numb with shock, she walked over and pushed it shut as the realisation of what was about to happen hit her. She was leaving the first town she had felt safe in for a long time, the only school that had acknowledge her academic ability and the first person to have stolen her heart. She could cope with leaving Boston and Elsmore High. But Jane? The notion made her knees weak, and she slid to the floor, her back against the wall. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She had waited her entire life to meet someone like Jane and now she had to leave her. She clamped her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the sound of her sobs as she curled up helplessly on the floor.

**Sorry! It took a while to get this posted as I've been away for a few days. Bit of a twist though, eh?**


	12. Crash And Burn

**Sorry about the last chapter, it'll get better soon.. ish. I wrote this chapter then when I read over it, I didn't remember writing half of it. Ooops. **

Maura opened her eyes slowly as a beam of sunlight shot through the slight crack in the curtains. She pushed herself upright and leaned her back against the small table beside the water bed that she was supposed to sleep on. She must have cried herself to sleep there on the floor the previous night.

Then it all came flooding back to her.

They had left the house in Boston.

Her father and Nate had dragged her to the middle of nowhere to live in what could only be described as a shack where the cuisine was stale bread and the beds were inflatable.

He was going to pull her out of the only school she had come close to liking, where her life was bearable.

And she had had to leave behind the only person she had ever truly fallen in love with.

Oh God, Jane..

Maura dug around in her bag and grabbed her mobile, frantically dialling Jane's number. It was only 8 o'clock, she wouldn't be at school yet. She closed her eyes and prayed for an answer.

_'Hello?'_

'Jane, it's me..'

'_Maura, hey. Where have you been?'_

'Jane.. I..' Maura found her vocal chords closing up and tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

'_Maura? Sweetie, what's wrong? Is everything okay?'_

'No.. Jane, nothing's okay.. I.. My Dad..'

'_What about him? God, he's not..?'_

'He's not dead. He.. He got in trouble.. He woke me up.. Got me out of the house..'

'_What? Well, where are you?'_

'Staying with one of his friends. Jane, I.. He says I'm not allowed to come back..'

There was a pause before Jane replied. _'You're leaving?'_

'We've left. We're gone. He said he couldn't talk to you but I had to say goodbye-'

'_Goodbye?_' Jane spluttered. '_But I just found you.. We just.. I.._'

'I know.'

'_You said you loved me.'_

Maura's heart dropped into her stomach. 'I do, Jane. You know I do.'

'_Then let me come and get you. I'll come pick you up. Just tell me where you are.'_

'I can't, Jane. He says it's for my benefit. I could be a target and so could you be if they find out.'

'_Well, then we'll go away. We'll skip town, get a place of our own, get jobs, go to college. We'll make a life for ourselves, Maura, just like you always wanted.'_

'Dad said-'

'_I don't give a damn what he said. It's your life, not his. Forget about what your dad wants. What do you want?'_

Maura swallowed. 'I want you, Jane. I want everything that you've just mentioned. And as much as I wish I could have all of that, I can't. I'm sorry-'

'_Yeah, I bet you are.' _Jane growled down the phone. _'Guess this is goodbye then. Call me if you change your mind. Have a nice life, Maura. Bye.'_

'Jane, no!'

But she had already hung up. Maura sighed and sat down onto the water bed, steadying herself. She knew she had completely messed that up. Out of frustration, she picked up the book on the floor and, using all her force, flung it at the wall opposite her. She rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, trying desperately not to cry.

'Maura?'

'Dad, this really isn't a good time...'

'I want to talk to you, kiddo.' Paddy crouched beside her. 'You remember Nathan's boy, Jack?'

Maura nodded. She did remember Jack and she prayed the conversation wouldn't take the turn that she feared.

'He's coming round tomorrow morning.'

'And?'

'Well.. You must know he likes you.'

She shuddered. The guy was creepier than his father. 'I'm not interested.'

'He's a good boy. A good earner, too. And I know he'd be able to protect you.'

'Come on Dad, he's in his thirties!'

'And?'

'I'm not even 18 yet.'

'Your mother and I were married at 18, not to mention-'

'If you even suggest babies, I'm leaving.'

Paddy smiled and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. 'You're a good girl, Maura. I could scour the earth and not find anyone who's good enough for you.'

Maura's stomach turned at that thought. She definitely knew of one...

'Maybe you're a bit young for all that yet though. Hey, where do you suggest we head to when we get out of here?'

'I just want to go home, Dad. I want to go back to where we were.'

His smile faded. 'God, can you just drop it? I'm trying to make you happy here.'

Maura sighed. 'Then why won't you listen to me? It's my life.'

'Oh come on, what do you know about life at your age?'

'More than enough actually. More than most teenagers.' Maura was on her feet now. 'I know what I want from life, Dad. I've tried so many times to tell you but you just don't listen. I want to go to college and medical school. I want to be a doctor. I want a family but with someone I love. So if you want me to be happy, please just listen...'

Paddy, to his credit, had listened silently and patiently through the whole rant, but now he stood up and looked intently at his daughter.

'Good luck with that, kid.'

**What do you all think? Let me know :) **


	13. Memento Mori

Jane sat on her bed, staring intently at the wall opposite her. She had released her initial burst of anger after her phone call with Maura by throwing her phone across the room but now, she was trying to work out if the last five minutes had really happened. How could Maura do that to her? After everything, she honestly never considered the idea that Maura and her father would be moving again. It was only a few months until they could go to college. They could have had the life she dreamed of. Since the first moment they had met, Jane had been entirely under Maura's spell. She had had feelings for girls before but never so strongly as this. Maura was the best thing to ever happen to her

'Hey, sweetheart. You alright?'

Jane didn't even blink as her mother sat on the bed beside her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

'Baby? What's up?'

'Ma, I really don't want to talk about it.'

'Is it Maura?'

'I said-'

'Janie, you're my daughter. I'm going nowhere until you tell me what's going on.'

The girl sighed. 'It's Maura... Her dad's moved away and he's taken her with him. She called to say goodbye. That's it, she's... She's gone Ma..' Jane began to cry, resting her head against her mother's chest. 'I just... She's... Ma, I love her.'

'I know.'

Jane looked up, startled. 'You know?'

'Of course I know, you think I'm blind? A mother knows, baby. Look, if you love her and she loves you then surely you two can find a way around this? Where have they moved to?'

'No idea. She wouldn't say. Or couldn't say.'

'Couldn't say? Jane...'

'Ma, if I tell you something, can you promise not to tell anyone?'

'You know me, like I'd ever tell.'

'No really Ma, don't tell anyone. Not Pa, not Aunt Clara, not the little old lady in the supermarket...'

'I promise my lips are sealed.'

'Well, Maura didn't have a regular upbringing..'

'What, she's adopted? Fostered?'

'Ma, listen. Her father is Paddy Doyle.'

Angela's face paled. 'Like the gangster?'

'Yeah.

'But she's such a nice girl, how could she be...? I... Wow.'

'That's what I thought when she told me. They move around a lot so he doesn't get caught. If he were found by an enemy, she'd be killed and if he were arrested, she'd go into the care system now her mother's left.'

'Oh, that poor girl...'

Jane blinked away tears. 'I don't know what to do, Ma. I've never felt like this before...'

'Oh baby, come here...' Angela pulled her daughter close to her. 'It's going to be okay.'

'Promise?' Jane mumbled through a thick onset of tears.

'I promise.'

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

'Are there any beers in the fridge?'

Maura stretched on the sofa, her book in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. For the first time in a week since they had moved in, Maura and Paddy had the place alone for the night while Nathan sorted out some 'business'. Usually, she would go to her room straight after dinner to avoid him but now, at 2 in the morning, she felt perfectly safe to stay up now that Nate was out. Paddy was writing in the book he always seemed to carry around and Maura was reading one of the books her mother had picked up from her years ago. She had read it so many times that she knew each page by heart, but it always made her feel better.

'Don't think so. I didn't see any when I was looking for orange juice. I thought Nate bought some home last night?'

'Have you not spent an evening with the guy? He drinks like a fish.'

'Only saltwater fish actually drink. Freshwater fish absorb it through the gills.'

Paddy raised his eyebrows, looking at her from the recliner. 'You're so like your mother, you know that?'

'I am?'

'Definitely. You have her intelligence. Not to mention her determination and ambition.'

Maura shuffled. 'Did you love her? Really?'

'You know I did.'

'And she loved you?'

'She wouldn't have put up with me for so long otherwise. She risked her life for me, as I did for her.'

'I guess.'

There was a brief pause before Paddy spoke again. 'I love you as well, you know that right? No matter what, you're my girl and I love you.'

Maura was about to respond when Paddy suddenly sat upright. 'You hear that?'

'Hear what?'

'Voices.'

Maura knew her father's hearing was impeccable so even if she couldn't hear them, she didn't doubt him for a second.

'Upstairs now.'

'What?'

'Quickly.'

Maura jumped off the sofa and sprinted up the stairs to her room. There was a fairly big window but the curtains were pulled close. She could watch from the crack without being seen. She stood in silence as a team of police made their way up the garden path. More than anything, she wanted to shout down and warn her father but she knew that he would have some kind of plan in his head already. All she could do was wait and pray.

'Boston Police!'

She flinched at the words and the sound of the door splitting in two. She hardly dared to breathe as she crept out of her bedroom and stood on the top stairs, watching the scene below her. One team of police had come in through the front and her father, probably armed, had gone out the back. The cops she could see in the hall checked the rooms downstairs before running through the back door.

Shit.

Maura hurtled down the stairs and followed them out of the door, the cold night air hitting her hard. She watched as her father drew his weapon and aimed it at the nearest cop.

She watched as a gun exploded.

She watched as a surge of blood shot from her father's chest.

She watched as he dropped to the ground.

And in that split second, her world came crashing down around her.

**Thanks for the reviews guys, the story's going to get better soon :P**


	14. Indestructible

**Heyy guys :) Sorry, I didn't leave it very well last time. Hopefully it gets better from here.**

Maura opened her eyes slowly, blinking furiously as her eyes adjusted to the light. Where was she? Her room didn't have white walls. And why the hell did her head hurt so much? She groaned and rolled her head to the left, hardly expecting to see the two figures standing beside her.

'Hey...' Jane smiled at her, squeezing her hand. 'How you doing?'

Maura blinked again. 'Am I dead?'

Jane grinned and Angela had to fight to repress a smile. 'No honey, you're in hospital. How are you feeling?'

'My head hurts.' She managed to sit herself up. 'Why are you here?'

'They didn't know who to call. I was the last number dialled on your phone. They explained what had happened and told us to meet you here.'

'Oh.' Maura thought for a moment. 'What happened?'

'You were in shock. They were trying to take a statement from you but you wouldn't talk to anyone. It took them a few hours to secure everything at the scene before they got you out of there. They brought you here just to get you checked over but you fainted while the doctors were talking to you.'

'Hang on, who brought me here?'

'The police, baby.' Jane studied her girlfriend's face. 'Don't you remember anything?'

Maura rubbed her eyes and tried to remember back to the previous night. It seemed like such a long time ago but it could only have been a few hours, judging by the clock on the wall. She remembered talking to her father and him telling her he loved her for the first time in years. Then she remembered the rest. The sudden panic, watching from her window, the yells, the gunshots, the blood...

'My Dad's dead, isn't he?' She whispered.

Jane and Angela looked at one another, similar expressions on their faces. Jane put her free hand on Maura's thigh and nodded. 'Yeah... I'm so sorry, Maur...'

The blonde closed her eyes and leaned her head back as tears spilled down her cheeks. She had just about coped when her mother had walked out on her but now her father was dead. How the hell could the man who had evaded arrest for more than 18 years have been caught, shot and killed in a matter of seconds? It just seemed so surreal. He just couldn't be dead, not her daddy...

'Anything we can do? You want something to eat? A drink?'

Maura shook her head. 'No, I'm okay.'

'Your lips look dry,' Angela pointed out. 'I'll go and ask for some water.'

'Thank you.' Maura closed her eyes. Her head was still pounding. She couldn't have slept much, not if the sharp pain above her eyes was anything to go by.

As soon as her mother had left the room, Jane sat on the edge of Maura's bed and kissed her hand gently. 'God, I was so worried about you...'

'You were?'

'Of course. I love you.'

'I love you too. Jane, I'm so sorry...'

'Hey, that's my line. You've got nothing to be sorry for. You've been through so much and I should have been more understanding.'

'No, you were right to be angry. I want you. My parents are... Were... The most important things in my life but I'm going to have to move on. All I want is to start a new life with you.'

Jane smiled. 'We can do that. We can do anything baby, you and me. We love each other, right? So we're indestructible.'

'Pretty much.'

'I can't lose you, Maur.' Jane wiped her eyes. 'When I thought I wasn't going to see you again, I didn't know what to do. I mean, I'm not glad for a moment that all this had to happen for us to see each other again but you know what I mean.'

'I do know what you mean,' Maura smiled softly and squeezed Jane's hand. 'Thank you for being here.'

'It's nothing.'

'Jane, it's six in the morning and you and your mom drove out here to be with me. That's not nothing.'

'I'd do anything for you, Maura.'

Maura smiled as Angela entered the room again, followed by a nurse carrying a jug of water.

'Well, you look better already.' The auburn haired nurse commented as she set the jug on the table and poured some into a plastic cup. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm okay. Bit tired but I'm okay.'

'That's no surprise. I'll get a doctor to give you a quick check over. All being well, we could let you go home today.'

'Thank you.' They smiled briefly at each other before the nurse left.

Once she had gone, Angela gave Jane a gentle nudge in her side. 'Go on then, tell her.'

'You tell her.'

'Tell me what?'

Jane smiled. 'Ma and I were talking while we were in the car. We thought that if you wanted, you could stay with us. You know, if you don't have anywhere else you'd rather be. We understand if you don't-'

Jane's words were cut off as Maura leaned forward and flung her arms around both of the their necks.

'I take that as a yes?' Angela grinned, rubbing Maura's back. 'I want to keep you around as much as Jane does, Maura. You're a wonderful girl and you make my daughter happy. What more could a mother ask for?'

'I don't know how to thank you, Mrs Rizzoli.'

'Angela, please. If you want to thank me, you take care of my Jane.'

'Oh I will,' Maura smiled, glancing over at her girlfriend. 'Don't worry about that.'

**Better? :)**


	15. Birthday Girl

'Maura? Maura, come on, wake up!'

Maura stirred and rubbed her eyes. 'Jane? What time is it?'

'Ten to eight. Come on, get up.'

'Why?'

'Sweetie, do you even know what day it is?'

The blonde looked at the baseball calendar on the oppsite wall. 'August 7th.. Oh God, it's my birthday.'

Jane grinned. 'Finally. Come on birthday girl, get up and get dressed. Ma's getting impatient.'

Maura threw the duvet off and let Jane pull her upright, smiling as kisses were peppered down her neck. 'Behave yourself.'

'Aw, Maura...'

'I thought I had to get dressed?'

'Fine,' Jane smiled. 'I'm waiting.'

Maura changed quickly and was about to head down the stairs when Jane stopped her. 'Hang on a sec, one more thing.'

'Oh dear. Go on then, what is it?'

Jane whipped out a scarf from her back pocket and tied it around Maura's eyes. 'Sorry, just following orders.'

'Jane, come on...'

'No, no, you follow me.' Jane took her hand and carefully guided her down the stairs, being sure that she was comfortable.

'What the hell are you doing? I don't like not being able to see.'

'Tough.' As they reached the bottom step, Jane quickly untied the knot and pulled the scarf away. 'Happy birthday, sweetie.'

Maura didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In front of her, the other four members of the Rizzoli family were standing around the kitchen table, which was groaning with the weight of Angela's cooking, all singing Happy Birthday to her. She giggled and waited for them to finish singing before hugging each of them in turn.

'I can't believe it... You remembered?'

'Jane made sure we remembered.' Frank Sr smiled as he pulled out a chair and motioned for Maura to sit down. She couldn't believe how much Angela had cooked. The table in front of her was laden with plates of pancakes, rashers of bacon, dishes of cut up fruit and scrambled eggs. Glasses of juice were being passed round and soon, the whole family were seated around the table. Jane grabbed the seat next to Maura, ignoring the grins that her brothers were shooting from across the table. Angela Frank took their usual seats at the heads of the table and began to pass the food around. Even though she had been staying with them for almost two months, Maura still couldn't get over how different the Rizzoli family was compared to how her own had been. She still missed them, of course, but she had always known that she didn't belong in that world. Here, the buzz of chatter over breakfast in the morning made her feel more at home than she had ever felt.

As soon as the last fork had dropped onto the last clean plate, Angela was out of her seat and collecting all the dishes to wash up. Maura had tried to offer her assistance but she had simply been told to sit back down before she was tied up.

'Come on Ang,' Frank began. 'Just leave the dishes in soak for now. We've got a more important job to do.'

'What's that?' Maura queried, praying it wouldn't involve embarrassing her.

'Presents of course,' Angela grinned as she pulled out several boxes from the cupboard above the sink. 'You think we were going to miss that bit?'

'I didn't... Well, I wasn't...'

'Shut up and let them spoil you, for goodness sakes.' Jane smiled and took a pile of presents and cards from her mother. 'Here, get on with it.'

Maura grinned and did as she was told. After 15 minutes and piles of wrapping paper, she had a homemade card from Tommy, along with what looked like a clay pot that he had made in art class, a few DVDs from Frankie and a set of medical and science related books from Frank and Angela. But it was Jane's present that took her breath away most.

'Come on Maur, stop shaking the box and open it.'

'Alright, alright.' Maura slid her finger under the wrapping paper and pulled it off in one go, revealing a small black box. 'Jane... You're not, are you?'

Jane couldn't help but laugh. 'Not just yet, honey. Go on, open it.'

Maura hesitantly opened up the box and gasped. Inside was a silver necklace with two interlocking heart pendants on the end, one silver and the other gold. Her eyes instantly filled with tears.

'Jane...'

'What's wrong?' Jane immediately became concerned. 'You don't like it? I could take it back or-'

Maura planted a soft kiss on her lips to shut her up. 'I love it, Jane. And I love you.'

'Ewww, Ma, make them stop!'

Jane pulled away, grinning as Tommy winced. 'Stop whining. Why don't you make yourself useful and get the mail in?'

'Both of you, pack it in. Go on Tommy, get the mail please.'

'Yes Ma.'

The young boy jogged outside and came back in with a stack of letters for the family. 'Here. Dad, Ma, Janie... Maura, these are for you.'

'For me?' Maura frowned. 'Who knows I live here?'

'You put our address on your college applications when you first filled it all in. Remember? So your dad wouldn't find out.'

'Oh yeah, I remember. It seems like such a long time ago.' Maura opened the first envelope quickly, scanning the text. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

'Well?' Five faces looked at her eagerly.

'I got into BCU...'

'No way!' Jane squealed, throwing her arms around her girlfriend. 'I'm so proud of you. You'll love it.'

'I can't go, Jane. Where am I going to get fifty thousand dollars?'

'It's not a scholarship?'

'I've been in and out of schools consistently since I was 5 and my attendance rates are appalling.'

'Why, did you get expelled a lot?'

Maura looked over at the two boys who were looking at her with a mixture of admiration and disbelief. 'Uh, no... We moved a lot because of my dad's job.'

That answer seemed to satisfy the boys and Maura looked back to Jane. 'Anyway, how could any college offer my a scholarship based on that? I'm lucky I came back in time to take my exams.'

Angela reached behind her and picked up another official looking letter from the counter. 'Before you go any further, this came the other day. It's important. It was addressed to your guardians but now you're 18, I think you need to see what it says.'

'Oh Ma, did you look?'

'It was for us, it's not like I normally open her letters. I don't think she'll mind when she sees what it says.'

'Oh my God.' Maura went white. 'It's from my dad's lawyer...'

'And?'

'He's left me some money.'

'How much?'

'Enough for you and me to go to BCU and to have some left over.'

Angela looked shocked. 'Janie, you got into BCU?'

'Yeah but I wasn't going to go. We don't have that kind of money. But Maura, I can't take that-'

'You can. You always wanted to go and I want you to be happy.'

'You're a nightmare... Okay, I accept. But I'm going to find a way to make this up to you, big time.'

'How?'

Maura could hardly repress a smile as she felt a hand slide up her thigh. If that was how Jane showed her gratitude, then she might have to buy her a car as well...


	16. Starting Over

**This is the last chapter guys :( Thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed/reviewed, it's always great to know what people think.**

'You're not going to leave those there are you?'

Jane looked down at the pile of DVDs she had left by the chest of drawers. 'Apparently not.'

'There's room on the bookshelf. I bet we could put all of our films on that shelf there.'

'And you think there's still going to be enough room for all of your books?'

'Of course there will.'

'Alright. Hand me your DVDs and I'll start shelving.'

'In alphabetical order.'

Jane grinned. 'Trust you. Yes baby, in alphabetical order. You do the books while I'm doing these.'

Maura smiled and knelt down beside a cardboard box full of books. It had only been an hour since they had arrived at their dream college and they were loving it already. On the other side of the room, in the kitchen, Frank and Angela were busy unpacking all their cutlery and utensils into various cupboards. It felt too good to be real for both girls and they were both still caught up in the daze.

'What is there to do when we've unpacked these?' Jane asked, her head deep in another box.

'Well we've packed away our clothes and stuff and all the toiletries are in the bathroom. I think we just have to put the sheets on the beds and put a couple of bits on the corkboard. Photos, your calendar, that sort of thing.'

'Thank goodness for that, I'm shattered.' The dark haired girl stifled a yawn. 'We've been up since five this morning and we've barely stopped since.'

'Jane, you fell asleep in the car.'

'For half an hour.'

'Which is half an hour more than me.' If she was honest, Maura was running on only a couple of hours of sleep. The prospect of college was so exciting and daunting that she had hardly managed to switch off at all. 'Right, I'm done here. You?'

'Yep,' Jane grinned as she slid her copy of Silence Of The Lambs into the last slot. 'All done. Ma, Pop, how's it going over there?'

'Nearly done, honey.' Her mother's voice called back. 'We'll help with the beds in a moment. You girls sort out your pictures and stuff.'

'Kay, Ma. Maura, any idea where the box is?'

'Here,' Maura picked up the shoebox with their various photos and ornaments in. Jane had a couple of trophies that she had won as a child and Maura had a few trinkets that she had picked up in various places. 'You want to pin this lot up and I'll decorate?'

'Deal.'

Maura took the photos out of the box and gave them to Jane, keeping everything else in the box. She put one of Jane's trophies on the window ledge with her own small silver turtle ornament on one side of it and a matching elephant on the other. On top of the chest of drawers went another couple of trophies and a guardian angel figure. There were a few other pieces that she placed anywhere she could. By the time she was done, any available surface had some kind of decoration on it. She stood by the door and scanned the room, admiring her work.

'Done?'

'Done.'

'We're all done with your beds, girls. What do you think?'

The pair looked round at their beds. They couldn't really get a double bed but they had pushed the two single beds together. Maura had chosen lilac bedding while Jane's was a deep blue. Despite the mismatch, Maura couldn't help thinking they were well suited.

'Right, I guess this is where we leave you.' Angela exhaled and looked around the room. 'I can't believe it.'

'Hey, don't get weepy,' Jane grinned as she hugged her mother. 'We'll be back as much as we can. Every weekend if you want us too.'

'Was that a threat or a promise?' Frank raised his eyebrows. 'Come here, sweetheart.'

'Come on Maura,' Angela released her daughter and pulled the blonde girl close, hugging her tightly. 'Oh, I'm going to miss you girls.'

'We'll miss you too.'

'Don't be silly, you won't have time to miss us. You'll be too busy enjoying yourselves. Hey,' Angela whispered. 'You make your parents proud.'

'I will, Angela.' Maura smiled and gave Frank a quick hug, trying not to cry. 'Thank you both for everything.'

'Our pleasure. Okay, that's it. You girls need anything, you know where we are.'

'Yes Pa, we got it. Thanks.'

'Alright. Give us a call tonight, okay? We want to hear everything.'

'Will do. Love you.'

'Love you too, both of you.'

Jane looked at Maura as the door closed behind her parents. 'Whew.. So roomie, now what?'

Maura grinned and wrapped her arms around Jane's neck. 'I've got an idea.'

'You do?'

'Mmm...' Maura leaned in and planted a light kiss on her girlfriend's jawline. 'Let's go explore campus.'

Jane narrowed her eyes. 'Maura Doyle, you're a nightmare. But...'

'But what?'

'But I love you.'

'I love you too, Jane.'

**So that was the final chapter, hope everyone enjoyed the story. I have a couple more things planned for these two but I don't think all of them are going to work out. Feel free to PM me with any requests or about my plans but I'm about to start uni so don't be offended if I don't get back to you straight away, I'll do my best :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


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